I had the gastric bypass but I sorta wish I had had the sleeve. Not sure if I would have done as well as I have with the sleeve but the long term effects are lessened with the sleeve. I had a friend who had the sleeve 10 months after I had the gastric bypass and she has lost way more weight than I have altogether. In the end, it is an individual decision between yourself and your doctor.

I have not had surgery yet, but one thing I liked about the bypass vs. the sleeve was that I could dump. It will hold me accountable and help keep me away from the foods I should not be having. (I hope that makes sense, its kind of a false safe) My doctor said that if you like sweets, then the sleeve is not the best choice. For me the sleeve would not be an option since I have had reflux issues for a while. Good luck with which ever you decide on. I look forward to watching your journey.

My RNY was Feb 7, 2012. One thing I heard was the sleeve does not have as much research and time behind it, so they don't know as much about long term success. Dumping can be uncomfortable but can be an incentive to be careful what you eat. The only downside to my surgery has been an ulcer at the incision where they reconnected the intestine. I think there are probably good and bad both ways.

I chose the sleeve. For me, it was between the same two that you are looking at. I like the idea that the portion of my stomach that makes me hungry is gone. Plus, my pouch is small; I only eat 5-6 ounces in a sitting. I feel like I've been pretty successful up to this point. I had surgery on June 14th, and I've lost 74 pounds.

The rate of weight loss is faster with the RNY - according to what I've read online, but I was drawn to the idea that I would not have this overwhelming sense of hunger.

I don't have dumping syndrome. I can eat all foods, but I've completely changed my mind set and approach to eating. That's what needs to change. If I want a bite of cake, I might have it. 98% of the time, I don't eat what I used to eat. I am making more informed decisions. I highly recommend you do the meetings with the NUT before your surgery. They helped me out a lot.

Good luck to you!

My mom had the sleeve instead of RNY because of the absorbation levels. You absorb nutrients much better with the sleeve than with bypass. She has had wonderful success and would do it all over again! If you don't have reflux or diabetes, the sleeve is really a good choice, but ultimately it's up to you!

I was just approved for my VSG Monday! When I went to see my doctor the firs time, he highly recommended the sleeve over the bypass...said that it gives the same results but without all the bypassing etc...To be honest with you the bypass really scares me. I am currently waiting on a return call from my doctors office to set a surgery date...I would recommend the sleeve over the bypass just because I trust my surgeon 110% because he has done several of my surgeries for me in the past.

I did lapband a few years ago and have had problems since. I am going forward and have decided to opt for sleeve when I have my band removed in the spring. I have to go through the pre-op requirements again, but hopefully it'll all be worth it! Looking forward to it!

BY PASS ALMOST 1 YR AGO 196 DONE CANT SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IT

I think you'll be happy with the sleeve. I had my sleeve on 4/4/12 & have lost 73 lbs. I decided to have the sleeve rather than the bypass because I was uncomfortable with not absorbing all the nutrients in the foods I do get to eat. I did think about the dumping as being a pretty powerful motivator for the bypass, but I just couldn't get past the malabsorbtion.

It can be difficult because the surgery does not address the reasons why you are obese to begin with & without the threat of violently expelling things you shouldn't eat, it's only your decisions that will help you succeed. I still struggle with portion size--I can only eat 8 ounces of food at a sitting, but that doesn't stop me from putting too much food on my plate unless I measure everything out. I have to be very aware of my personal food issues & guard against them constantly. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I can have this, that, or the other once I reach goal weight--another 43 lbs for me, but that will never be true. I will never be able to just eat without carefully considering my foods. I was morbidly obese because I do not make good choices about food without serious consideration (and recognizing my ability to rationalize many things) & that will never change for me. So, if you know what your personal demons are & think you can defeat them without the threat of dumping, I would definitely recommend the sleeve. It was the best decision I have ever made.

My dr. doesn't recommend the lap band either.

I've had my sleeve for 5 years now, and have kept the weight off, although I only lost about 80% of what I had hoped. It still boils down to making good food choices and getting some exercise in. As for the dumping, I have found that there is still a form of dumping with the sleeve, or a distinct feeling of being sick with stuff that digests fast, like ice cream. It's enough to make me avoid large portions, that is for sure! The sleeve does its job - restricting how much you can eat. That has never changed in all these years.

As far as anyone saying the sleeve stretches, it does "mature" a bit. When you first have surgery you typically will only be able to eat 1-2 ounces for a few months. Now that I'm over 8 months post op, I can eat about 3 ounces of protein and I'm stuffed. If I want to eat protein first and make room for some veggies, I can eat 2.5 ounces of protein and a couple of bites of veggies. If I am eating something soft like cottage cheese, I can eat about 5-6 ounces because it's so easy to eat and it pretty much slides right through. It's much better to eat something like dense protein. I like to eat cheese sticks, or a few thin pieces of ham wrapped in a slice of cheese, or beef jerky for snacks. They are more "dense" and I get full fast. For meals I usually eat chicken or fish or ham or some type of protein with a little bit of veggies. I had the smallest sleeve size that is typically used, which is a 32 French bougie. I have heard some surgeons go a bit smaller but not very often. I am glad I had that size. I am pleased with my restriction level. Just my opinion--but I think that the sleeve sizes between 32 and 36 are probably best. But that's just my opinion and other people think that bigger is okay too. It's really up to your comfort level. I wanted the most restriction possible that could be done safely.

Did I mention that my hunger is greatly diminished? That is probably one of my favorite parts of this surgery. I don't get hungry very often and when I do, it is easily managed with just eating a small amount. I love not being hungry all the time and trying to "starve" when I'm on a "diet". The sleeve does not really feel like a diet at all. You aren't typically "really hungry". The only time I might get hungry is right before Aunt Flo comes for her monthly visit.

Don't be afraid of the sleeve stretching stories. If you get a properly done sleeve by a reputable surgeon who uses the newest techniques to ensure restriction then you probably won't have to worry about it stretching very much. The surgeon is supposed to remove the fundus of the stomach when the sleeve is done. That is the stretchy part of the stomach. When it is removed, there is not much "stretching" that can go on. With RNY--most of the time the pouch stretches some. The real problem with "stretching" is the STOMA--which is the man made opening where your food goes through (sleevers don't have that). The stoma can stretch and enable much more food to go through. I have heard of quite a few people complaining about that issue. It happens and there isn't much they can do to fix it. Supposedly they have a surgery that can help fix it but a lot of people complain that it doesn't help for very long. Sleevers dont' worry about that because we keep our natural pyloric valve.

I am not saying the RNY is bad. It's not. I have a sister who's been very successful with it and has kept off her weight for 7 years. However, she has to go get B12 shots and iron injections quite frequently and the costs add up. I just didn't want to have to worry about that or whether I'd be able to afford that if something bad happened financially in the future.

GOOD LUCK!